Thursday, December 27, 2012

This week’s parshah –
Va-y’hi – contains the culmination of the stories of Jacob/Israel
and his sons.

As Jacob is on his death bed, Joseph visits his father.Accompanying Joseph are his two sons,
Manasseh and Ephraim.Israel adopts them and, in doing so, elevates
them to full status as heads of the tribes of Israel,
thus ensuring that the land
of Israel will be divided
among twelve tribes. As he prepares to bless Manasseh and Ephraim, something
interesting happens.

Noticing Joseph’s sons, Israel
asked, “Who are these?” And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom
God has given me here.” (48:9-10)

Didn’t Israel
just adopt them?How is it possible that
he didn’t recognize them?Some
commentators suggest that he didn’t recognize his grandsons, because they were
indistinguishable from other Egyptian youth.

Joseph had married a wife named Asenath, daughter of
Poti-phera, who was the priest of On – an Egyptian god. As a man of
significance to the Pharaoh, it’s not surprising that both he and his sons
“looked” Egyptian.

Tradition has it that Manasseh and Ephraim reassured their
Grandfather about their connection to the Israelites by reciting the Sh’ma and thus affirming their belief in
the same God as their ancestors.

So Israel
bestows his blessing on each of them. I’ve often
wondered whether he blessed his young, assimilated grandsons out of conviction
that they would continue to practice Jewish life…. or out of a deep hope that
they would.

The issue of assimilation, then,
is one that appears throughout our people’s story.Grandparents often wonder whether their
grandchildren will continue to be Jewish.But what exactly does “be Jewish” mean?

When I converted to Judaism, over
thirty years ago, I often felt that there was an
invisible-to-me-but-apparent-to-everyone-else neon sign flashing over my head
that proclaimed, “Not born Jewish.”I
was sure that others could tell – by my appearance, by my lack of Hebrew, by my
uncertainty about whether to stand or sit during services – that I wasn’t
“really” Jewish.It took a long time for
that “neon sign” to disappear from my consciousness.

What I’ve come to understand in
the last 30 years is that what’s more important than appearance is my
behavior.Are my actions Jewish? Do they
exemplify Jewish values? Do those values have a significant role in my
decision-making?And – no less critical
– have I explicitly articulated those values to my children and to my
students?

·We make a donation to tzedakah on days of celebration,
because that’s what Jews do:remember
those who are less fortunate.

·As we step outside in the morning, we take a moment to say
“Thank you” to the Eternal, because that’s what Jews do: notice and appreciate
the blessings in the world around us.

·We acknowledge the individual on the street, because that’s
what Jews do: recognize that each of us is created in the image of our Creator.

·As we travel through life, when we spot injustice, we speak
out, because that is what Jews do: continue in the footsteps of the prophets,
telling truth to power and giving voice to the vulnerable.

Several years ago, I came across
the following unsigned comment on the URJ’s Torah Talk web page for this week’s
parshah:

“Our legacy, impact, and ability to improve the world are
only as strong as the values we transmit to our children.We cannot ensure that our children will honor
our memory, but it is up to us, like Joseph, to honor them by linking them with
their past, and by giving them the responsibility and the trust to recreate and
to reform Judaism in their own image.”

Like Joseph, we stand between our parents and our
children.The stories we tell, the
customs we integrate into our lives, the behaviors that are an integral part of
the fabric of our lives – all are significant aspects of the transmission of
Jewish identity l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation).

Like Jacob, our influence may have
to be exerted over multiple generations.Today we may have to grandparent our third generation if family systems,
economic pressure, and the distractions of popular culture inhibit the role of
parents to enculturate their children on their own.

With this parshah,
we end the book of Beresheit (Genesis).As is our custom upon completion of a book of
the Torah, we say “Hazak! Hazak! V’Nithazek!
(Be strong! Be strong! And may you be strengthened!)”

And by the mindful choices we all make, am Israel (the Jewish people) will be strengthened.

Questions for discussion:

1)Do you frequently find yourself making judgments about people based on
their appearance?

2)If people look at your behavior, will they see actions guided by Jewish
practice and belief?

About Me

I'm a Jewish Educational Consultant, who's spent over 25 years teaching in and directing Congregational Religious Schools. I also was the founding director of a Jewish Cooperative Preschool. As a convert to Judaism, I am an example of the adage "it's never too late to learn."
In this blog, I intend to share thoughts about teaching, learning, running one's own business, family and study.... and whatever else comes up along the journey. Won't you join me?
Check out my website: www.morahmaryconsulting.com